Сухой лед
by SuicideMonday
Summary: AU.Our strings are connected as we continue down this path. What's a dream and what's reality? RussiaxChina. Slight ChinaxAmerica. America-centric. Human names used. WARNINGS:Implied drug use,sexual themes, violence, gore, insanity, and character deaths.


**AN: Hi everyone! This is my slightly early Christmas present to all of you! (Wow, I give horror fic for Christmas, how messed up is that? ;_;) Merry Christmas!**

**This story spawned from mild surprises in my life, little blurbs that became a whole story. This fic isn't exactly the way I wanted it to turn out, but then again, nothing arrives on paper the way it started. Sorry if the drug part sounds inexperienced or lacking, I've never taken drugs nor do I encourage it. **

**Sorry to anyone who's waiting on chapter 4 of 'Every Sigh Holds Thoughts of You'. I'll try and get it done before New Years! I have a new chapter fic planned (I'll post a teaser in the final chapter of ESHTOY or in one of my one shots) and a couple of one shots to write as well. I hope everyone looks forward to the New Year!**

**As always, please read and review! If you favorite the story I would love to hear from you about what **_**you liked **_**about the story so I could possibly incorporate it into a future fic.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia ;_;**

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_**Сухой лед **_

_Or_

_Dry Ice_

_Smoke and Mirrors,_

_This is the game we play._

**Flash!**

A picture. The man looked up from his camera, thinking over the peculiar situation of this crime.

Doors still locked.

Nothing touched.

One dead victim.

"Toris!"

Toris looked up, breaking his train of thought. His partner, Feliks, was walking towards him.

"Any clues?" Feliks inquired.

Toris scrunched his brow, beads of sweat dripping down the sides of his face.

"The crime scene is spotless."

Feliks sighed.

"This is the fourth victim this month! How is this guy doing it?!"

The pattern was obvious. The morning after the murder, they would receive a single piece of paper with an address.

Each scene was the same. The victim was always a fairly attractive young male. Property showed no signs of damage, tampering, or stolen goods.

But every time the police managed to open the doors, they always found--

One victim.

No blood.

Missing their eyes.

_We will continue to dance_

_Until the curtain falls_

Alfred shuddered, the chill December air was reaching his bones. Shifting a bit in his bomber jacket, he wrapped his arms around himself, attempting to retain the heat produced by his body as much as possible, and continued down the street. As the night wore on, his puffs of breath became even more visible, small grey clouds hitting his face as he walked.

What he was looking for, he didn't know.

Winter break had just started and he was already bored out of his mind.

Winter break of his second year of college and he was stuck watching his parent's home. His parents decided to have a second honey moon, but didn't want to leave the house unattended. His brother, Matthew, was busy with a college program in France, so the responsibility had landed on him. Flying back to the small town, Alfred should have known that nothing would have changed since he departed to college, leaving him with absolutely nothing to do. The most exciting thing in town was the old movie theater that showed classic 80's movies.

He wasn't sure what it was, but on the third night of his return, Alfred found himself compelled to take a walk.

Search for excitement.

Adventure.

If life wasn't going to find him, Alfred F. Jones was going to sneak up behind it!

Glancing at the stores and homes he had grown familiar to as a boy, Alfred was dumbstruck by what he saw at the end of the road. This was defiantly something that hadn't been here before.

The tiny building was covered in the typical red bricks that matched the rest of the town. The only features that stuck out about the building were its odd window display and the flickering neon lights of the store's 'Open' sign. The fact that the store was open was bizarre enough, it was almost Christmas and all the stores should be closed. Looking at his watch, Alfred saw the neon green numbers of '12:57' flashing at him. Besides the winter season, no store should be open at this time. Bringing himself closer to the store, Alfred examined the window display.

Decorated in the window was a pair of dolls, positioned as if in an eternal dance. The leader of the silent dance wore a plain coat, face forever painted with tears. The doll it held lacked eyes, it's only facial features were its long black hair tied back in a simple fashion. But the doll processed an extravagant outfit, completely outshining the other's. Together, the two dolls held hands, one leading, one following, surrounded by a gloomy fantasy background. Even Alfred, who knew next to nothing about dolls, could see the painstaking work that went into the two, the beauty they held was undeniable. Alfred couldn't take his eyes off the display. Even though they were just dolls, something about them just screamed.

Tragedy.

As the neon sigh flickered, Alfred found himself compelled to walk into the store.

_If you listen closely _

_You can hear their song_

_Ring!_

The bell attached to the door chimed as Alfred made his way into the store. Warmth suddenly surrounded him as he was greeted by a stranger sight than the one outside. The walls were lined with shelves, each one crammed full of ancient looking books, crystal balls, taxidermic animals, claws, mirrors, or other things Alfred couldn't identify.

"Welcome!"

Alfred turned his body to where he heard the voice. He guessed that both the store and its owner were new in town. Alfred took another quick look around the store before he spoke.

"Uh, hi. I just happened to be walking down the streets when I came across your shop. Is it new? I grew up here you see and I don't remember seeing this place last time I was here. You would be…?"

Alfred had the tendency to babble when he was nervous. The man stayed behind the counter, a sizeable distance away from Alfred, but smiled and introduced himself.

"Ivan. Ivan Bravinski."

Alfred guessed he was just getting a name for now. Being the sociable person he was, he continued to talk.

"Cool shop you got here, what exactly is it though?"

Ivan didn't seem insulted by the comment and answered Alfred's inquiry with a light tone.

"Oh, it's just a side hobby. I guess most would call this place a 'magic shop'."

He paused for dramatic effect, leaning against the counter as he continued.

"However, what I offer--- is more that just cheap tricks."

To others, those words would have been warning enough, and most would have left that shop without ever looking back.

A select few however, chose to stay.

Alfred's eyes lit up at the implied mystery.

Ivan examined the youth. He would have to do.

Taking another look around, Alfred couldn't bring himself to touch any of the filled shelves. The longer he stayed in the store, the more his mind drifted from what led him to even walk in.

The window display.

Instead of making his way through artifact after artifact, Alfred made his way toward Ivan. Looking him strait in the eye, Alfred confidently said.

"I don't believe in magic."

Ivan looked like he almost expected this, and hummed in understanding.

"Then what can I do for you?"

An innocent enough question. Alfred thought about this for a minute, trying to remember exactly why he even decided to walk the night streets at this time.

A spark.

A spark that was ignited as soon at his eyes caught sight of this shop.

Adventure.

Alfred's eyes gleamed.

"I'm just looking for some excitement in this boring town."

This seemed to be the answer Ivan was looking for. As if pleased with these turn of events, Ivan nodded reassuringly, his eyes full of understanding.

"Why sir, I'm fully confident that I can offer you the greatest thrill you can possibly imagine."

Ivan grinned, and then quickly disappeared to the back, only to return just as quickly.

"This is a new product."

Ivan held the small packet in front of Alfred's face.

Alfred looked at it questionably. It looked like white powder in a clear packet. Taking it from Ivan's hand, Alfred turned it over in his own.

Alfred scrunched his eyebrows incredulously.

"What is it exactly?"

Looking back up at Ivan, he questioned him again with his eyes.

"In English it is called 'Dry Ice'."

Alfred's silence signaled Ivan that he still didn't understand. Ivan sighed, and brought the packet up to Alfred's noise. As soon as Alfred caught a whiff of the smell, his eyes widened with realization.

"Oh."

Alfred had taken various drugs before, but he was weary of ones he had never heard of. This 'Dry Ice' was one of them. Wracking his thoughts, he couldn't even remember ever once hearing the name. Another thing Alfred didn't want was a drug addiction. He stayed away from the strong stuff like heroin and cocaine because he knew what shit like that could do to your life. And Alfred had big dreams of becoming a professional pilot one day; he couldn't screw it up now.

Ivan could see the hesitation in Alfred's eyes.

"You said you wanted some excitement, yes? Don't worry, it's non-addictive. You won't be crawling back for a restock. It's a one-time high. The worst it can do is knock you out for the night."

Alfred was fighting a losing battle with his trill for the dangerous.

"What does it do….specifically?"

Ivan slid his eyes across Alfred's frame; he cocked his eyebrow and very bluntly said.

"It specializes in pleasure."

Ah, that was always a plus. What else was he going to do, walk away from this guy? Alfred F. Jones was not one to back down from a challenge. His eyes hardened with his resolve, inwardly lit with the glow of desire.

"How much is it?"

Ivan merely turned around and waved him off.

"Take it; you look like you need it. Think of it as a gift to celebrate our meeting."

Alfred, stunned by his generosity, walked towards the door. Just as he was about to open it he was struck by a thought. Turning his head, he raised his voice.

"If this is just a hobby, then what do you do for a living?"

Ivan's head poked out from the back of the store.

"Doctor" he said, before quickly disappearing again.

Alfred left the store slightly perplexed and still full of questions.

If he turned around he would have noticed.

The window display was empty.

_Don't open your eyes for _

_You might awake into a nightmare._

At some point during the whole exchange, Ivan had managed to slip directions to the white powder into Alfred's hands. Back in the comfort of his home, Alfred continued to weight the consequences.

Pros and cons.

Good and bad.

Right or wrong.

Monotony or excitement.

Ah, what the hell.

Taking a small ceramic dish from the kitchen, Alfred poured the white powder onto the creamy white surface, creating a counterclockwise swirl. Setting it down on the floor of his old room, Alfred lit the end of the powder with a lighter and watched as a blue haze settled across his room.

_Inhale, don't suck it in._

Closing his eyes, Alfred took a short breath and exhaled, feeling the immediate effects of the smoke.

Whoa.

Sinking to the floor, Alfred could begin to feel his body tingle with an unfamiliar sensation, building its way through his body. It made its way up, increasing intensities of pleasure as it reached its final destination. It felt like someone's fingers were ghosting over his body, swirling around just above him, creating a symphony of bliss. Alfred moaned, taking in another breath and feeling the effects double. His body trembled; a thin layer of sweat began to form.

He tugged off his shirt.

His mind was getting hazy.

All he could focus on was the waves of pleasure that were overtaking his body and breathing.

Was his room getting warmer?

Alfred tilted his head back, biting his lower lip, as he tried to keep his mouth shut from spewing out incoherent sounds as the spikes of pleasure continued to enter his body.

"Mh~!"

Alfred dug his nails into the ground.

"Haaah!"

His breathing increased.

The sound of his voice was echoing in the room.

"Ah!"

His cock throbbed, begging for release.

Hands trembling, Alfred reached down to undo his jeans. Even this simple task was difficult as his body was already convulsing with pleasure.

Pulling his cock out, Alfred could already feel how hard he was, blood pulsing.

Slowly pumping up and down and arousing himself even more, his mind was working overtime to keep his body breathing.

Accelerated heart rate.

His cock hardened even more.

Thu-thump!

The beating in his chest drowned out all other sounds.

Alfred could barely control his movements, head shaking as his lips parted in a breathless moan.

He was close---!

His face contorted with pleasure.

His hands slick with pre-cum, Alfred's movements became more frantic.

It hurt. Alfred gritted his teeth. It hurt so much…but at the same time the pleasure was intense.

His voice was raw.

"Ahhh!"

Alfred shouted as he climaxed. Panting, his brain shot of bursts of white across his closed eyes; he reached a high he never thought possible. He could still feel the waves of pleasure, egging him on. His body was humming with the sensation.

Continue.

Go further.

They beat at the walls of his skull.

Alfred released his hold on the ground.

This was….

"Hah…"

Too much.

Alfred opened his eyes.

-

-

Big mistake.

_Don't look at your reflection_

_It's bad luck_

Did he…always have such a large mirror in his room?

Alfred tilted his head in confusion, the ocean of pleasure taking a back seat to his confusion.

Why couldn't he remember placing that mirror in his room?

And the strangest thing----

Was the fact that it didn't reflect anything.

The mirror was right across him, taunting Alfred to question its unreflective properties.

Just as he was about to reach over to touch the clear surface, he felt hands push him down.

Alfred winced at the force, blinking his eyes and looked at the weight on top of him.

It was

A boy.

The boy's fogy amber eyes quickly met Alfred's before he took off Alfred's glasses, tossing them aside.

"Hey---"Alfred tried to move to protest, but he was unable to follow through. His body was humming with content waves of pleasure stronger than they felt before. Looking at the boy in shock, he quickly discovered that every place he touched set Alfred off with desire. Alfred could feel his resolve slipping. He didn't even know this kid. Sure, the boy was attractive but…

Ah.

He must be dreaming.

Watching as the boy ran his hands across his body, Alfred guessed he might as well take advantage of the situation.

It's all a dream right?

Trying to reach up to return the contact, Alfred realized that he was truly unable to move. Looking up at the boy, he saw him lick his lips and stand up.

What.

Was.

Going.

On?

The haze of the room turned red.

"Hello there Alfred!"

Ivan's head popped up in front of Alfred's view, his gloved hand inches away from Alfred's face in a cheerful greeting.

If Alfred could jump back, he would have. He screamed.

"Ah!"

Ivan winced a bit at the noise, taking a few steps back and looked over his shoulder towards the boy.

"Yao"

So that's what his name was, Alfred filed the information away. Tilting his head a bit more, Ivan gestured towards the mirror. Yao nodded, and made his way towards the large piece of glass.

Returning his attention back to Alfred, Ivan patted Alfred's shoulder in an comforting manner.

"Partings are so depressing, wouldn't you agree? Alfred?"

Ivan was blocking his view on Yao and the mirror. He was still trying to figure out what was going on.

Was it still a dream?

Ivan continued, not waiting for Alfred to reply.

"That's why I'm telling you 'hello!' instead of 'goodbye!'"

A pause.

"Because 'goodbyes' imply forever while you can say 'hello' as many times as you want."

Ivan didn't even seem to be talking to Alfred anymore.

"And how can farewell ever be good?"

Ending his monologue, his eyes met Alfred's.

"You understand my predicament, don't you?"

Alfred gulped, unable to stare into the depths of Ivan's amethyst eyes.

"Truthfully, no."

Ivan dropped all pretenses, his face sliding into a frown. Gone were all traces of any previous cheer. Standing up, Ivan walked towards the east wall, his back still facing Alfred.

"A pity."

Alfred could now see that the mirror was reflecting Yao. The boy's eyes remained blank as he stared into the mirror. Glancing from Yao to his reflection, Alfred could catch subtle differences between the two. Yao's reflection looked more alive, glowing with an indescribable feeling of happiness and love. The longer Alfred stared, the more differences became apparent. How could one's reflection be so different from the person standing in front of you? Yao's reflection seemed so human while the boy in front of him--- Alfred's memories came rushing back to him.

Reminded him of a doll.

The window display!

Ivan stared at Yao's reflection with a pained expression, masking a tragedy only he remembered.

Gripping his head, his amethyst eyes were swimming with madness.

This was the only way.

Brushing the hair from his face, he remembered his lines.

"You get to be Yao's fourth victim."

The mirror shimmered.

"Did you know the Chinese word for 'four' sounds like 'death'?"

Alfred sucked in a deep breath of air.

What was he talking about _now?_

**Pain.**

Alfred screamed in agony, body suddenly able to move again as he curled against the floor. He clawed at his face. Oh god…what was this? In his watery vision he could make out the fuzzy image of Yao.

Reaching into the mirror.

That reflection….

On the other side of the mirror was----

Himself.

Yao's hand reached his mirror copy's eyes. The mirror shimmered around Yao's arm. Not stopping there, Yao continued to push, digging out his copy's eyes.

Alfred screamed.

Goddamn it!

Yao began to rip his eyes out.

Stop!

He continued to pull.

Alfred could no longer see; his vision swimming with red. He moaned in pain.

Make it stop….

This wasn't…

What he wanted.

_Pop!_

As Alfred continued to twitch in pain, Ivan chuckled, looking over to Yao as he swallowed Alfred's eyes.

"It's true what they say, you know? The eyes are the windows to the soul. Unfortunately, we'll need yours."

Ivan looked down at Alfred's now dead body, amethyst eyes gleaming red.

More to himself than anybody, he continued to talk.

"You didn't put up much of a fight, did you?"

Reaching down, he turned over Alfred's body to expose his face.

Humming in thought, Ivan exclaimed.

"The Englishman was much more interesting! Actually figured out what I was planning!"

Ivan released his hold on the body and stood up, making his way towards Yao.

"Of course—"

He wiped the blood away from Yao's mouth.

"That made the experience all the more painful."

As if waking from a dream, Ivan's eyes lost their tint on malice. He laughed, pulling Yao closer.

"For the Englishman of course! I have no qualms against killing."

Spinning Yao once, their feet fell into the steps of a waltz. Embracing the short boy, Ivan's eyes were full of sorrow.

"It's all for my little Yao."

_That I carve this bloody road._

If this will return what we had.

_It's all for you._

As the red haze lifted, no trace of Ivan and Yao could be found.

_You can't catch_

_An Illusion._

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**AN: Gah, Alfred's part was a lot longer than I expected. ;_; Yes, one of the other victims was Arthur. I'm not really sure about the others though. (Kiku and Vash? *shrug*) (All the murders are carried out in relatively the same fashion, so I didn't feel the need to explain the others.) This story has a tragic prequel that I don't have much intention of writing. To sum it up: Ivan is a doctor working in a hospital where he falls in love with Yao. (Yao's age is a mystery) Circumstances tear them apart and Yao dies, leaving Ivan devastated. Willing to do whatever it takes to be with Yao; Ivan turns to black magic to bring him back. Signing a contract with a demon, if Ivan can collect a set amount of souls (aka eyes) for Yao, he can have his wish. The true test in this is whether or not Ivan can keep his sanity (or what's left of it) intact as he continues to kill people. And if he ever collects enough souls, how will Yao be able to cope with what he has been forced to do. (At the moment, Yao is an empty shell, forced to listen to any of Ivan's commands)(The mirror reflects Yao soul.) So, in the end it all comes down the strength and how far you're willing to stray down the path of darkness in order to achieve your goals. (Plot is up for grabs if anyone wants it XD)**


End file.
